


The Defense

by matthewsbj



Category: The OC
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-28
Updated: 2018-09-06
Packaged: 2018-11-20 13:49:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11336790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/matthewsbj/pseuds/matthewsbj
Summary: A series of one-shots that show the Cohen's defending Ryan at various points throughout the series.  I will be posting chapters concurrently on FanFiction.net, as well.





	1. Chapter 1 - Kirsten

This one is taken from the episode The Second Chance (02x11).  This episode had at least one scene where Kirsten could/should have defended Ryan.  She just kind of allowed Caleb to get away with insulting him; which is from where a lot of Ryan’s anger/trusts issues stemmed, at least in my opinion. 

This is during the scene where Caleb, Lindsay, Kirsten, and Ryan are having dinner at the Cohens.  Because I don’t really like to jump into the middle of an established scene from an episode, I will start at the beginning with the dialogue until I start to diverge from the episode.  Oh, and Caleb doesn’t have a heart attack.

* * *

 

_Caleb: This is the best meal you ever cooked, Kiki._

_Kirsten: Oh, its fondue, Dad.  Cheese pot.  Not so difficult. (Ryan eats and then looks over at Lindsay, Lindsay eats and looks down. Caleb eats and Kirsten looks worried about how the evening is going)_

_Kirsten: (to Caleb) Did you know that Lindsay plays the obo (Caleb looks at Lindsay)_

_Lindsay: Not well (nervous smile)_

_Caleb: (smiles) Do you now, do you play any Brahms?_

_Lindsay: I try. (smiles) (Caleb nods, Kirsten smiles at Lindsay)_

_Kirsten: (to Lindsay) Did you know that Dad has box seats at the Hollywood bowl?  Have you ever been?_

_Lindsay: Uh, no, I heard it’s amazing._

_Caleb: Tickets are yours_

_Lindsay: Great!  Ryan what do you think? (Caleb looks at Ryan, not impressed) A little Esa-Pekka, a little Yo-Yo Ma (Ryan smiles)_

_Caleb: I don’t think Ryan would be interested (Ryan looks at Caleb. Kirsten looks at Caleb)_

_Kirsten: Dad._

_Caleb: What?  I’m just saying, a boy like Ryan would probably get bored with a show like that_

_Lindsay: (looks at Caleb) Right, because they don’t have music in Chino_

_Ryan: It’s fine, just let him insult me_

_Caleb: (to Ryan) I didn’t mean to insult you.  I just had no idea that you were a classical music fan (Ryan has his eyes closed, Lindsay looks uncomfortable)_

_Caleb: What’s your favorite Brahms concerto? (eats)_

_Kirsten: (closes her eyes) Ryan I’m so sorry_

_Ryan: No, its fine.  You know what, I’m just gonna go.  This was supposed to be about Lindsay and Caleb making up for lost time (stands up)_

_Caleb: What are you insinuating?_

_Ryan: Just you guys have a lot to catch up on.  I’d hate to see you waste all your time insulting me._

_Lindsay: Ryan...stay._

_Caleb: Yes, Ryan stay, as long as you like.  (Ryan looks at Caleb) Living in this house, eating our food, dating our children, butting into our affairs_

_Kirsten: (to Caleb) (glares) You are so out of line_

_Caleb: What, I’ve forgiven him for burning down my model home, for teaching my grandson how to steal cars (Ryan just stands there) and for starting a brawl at my Man of the Year party, and everyone seems to have forgotten that he impregnated a girl (Lindsay looks down)_

_Ryan: (can’t stay quiet) Something you might know a thing or two about except I didn’t pay her off to stay quiet_

_Caleb: What did you say to me?_

_Ryan: (hands on his hips) I’m just telling you the truth (walks closer) and you can try and hide from Lindsay, make this all about me._

_Caleb: I’ve had just about enough out of you!_

_Ryan: (walks closer) That’s too bad, cause I’m just getting started! (Caleb stands up)_

Before they can continue further, Kirsten is next to Ryan in an instant.  She places a calming hand on his shoulder and softly calls his name, “Ryan.”  She’s hoping to break the tension a little bit.  She feels him tense even more as soon as she touches him.  When he does make eye contact with her however, and realizes it’s her, she feels him relax, albeit marginally. 

As they look at each other for a few moments, she can see the inferno in his eyes die down a little bit.  Almost uncharacteristically of Ryan, he takes a slight step back, allowing Kirsten to take his place just inches from her father. 

She recognized it for what it was, his way of letting her take control.  She also realized that he could read her.  With her eyes, she was asking him to trust her, to let her handle this.  That he was willing to take that gigantic step and trust her, only pushed her further to defend this boy, her son.

“Dad,” Kirsten started with a false calm, “do you remember what I told you earlier today?”

His gaze moved from Kirsten, to Ryan, to Lindsay, and back to Kirsten.  “Now, Kiki….,” was all he could get out.

Now it was time for Kirsten’s eyes to blaze with righteous fury!  She grew to her full height and stepped closer so that she was practically nose-to-nose with her father.  Ryan instinctively took a step backward, and bumped into Lindsay, who took Ryan’s hand in her own.  “Don’t you _ever_ call me Kiki again!  I told you that Ryan was Seth’s brother and a son to me and Sandy.  And, that you could lose one, if not two, daughters.  Well, there’s the door.  You are not welcome back in this house until you can apologize for how you’ve treated him and speak with him civilly!”

Ryan couldn’t help but feel more than just a little guilty for cause more problems for Kirsten’s family.  He didn’t notice that Lindsay was standing a little taller and glaring at Caleb with the same intensity as her sister. 

Caleb looked between Kirsten and Lindsay, hoping that his younger daughter would come to his aid.  When she didn’t, he simply glared at the boy he felt responsible for his current predicament and stomped out the door, slamming it behind him.

The three of them just kind of stood there for a moment, processing what just happened.  Kirsten slowly turned around a little and glanced at Ryan and Lindsay.  She realized he looked almost ashen, like he was going to be sick. 

Ryan cleared his throat, and pointed to the kitchen behind him with his thumb.  “Excuse me for a minute.  I’m just going to get some water.”  And he was gone.

Lindsay watched him go, torn between being upset after what just happened with her “father” and wanted to console her boyfriend. 

After taking a couple of deep breaths to get herself back under control, she affectionately took Lindsay’s arm.  “I’m sorry about what happened tonight with… him, “pointing to the chair their father had occupied.  She couldn’t bring herself to call him ‘Dad’ at the moment.

Lindsay wasn’t quite sure what to say, so she just shrugged a little bit, and looked back to the kitchen.

Kirsten lowered her voice, so that Ryan couldn’t hear her in the next room, “Thank you for being here for Ryan during this whole thing.  I know it must have been hard on you to take a stand like with … him…, but I know that it means the world to Ryan.  He hasn’t had very many people in his court, so I know it means a lot.”  Looking into the kitchen herself, she told her sister, “Let me go see how he’s doing.  Hopefully, with the both of us, he won’t shut down completely.”  Kirsten squeezed her arm and walked into the kitchen. 

Ryan was standing in front of the sink staring out the window, at nothing really, with an empty glass next to him on the counter.  Kirsten slowly made her over and stood next to him.  She could feel he was putting off a very strong “Leave me alone” vibe, and a year ago, she probably would have.  But, she also realized that a year ago, he would never have allowed her to handle a confrontation like he did just a few minutes ago.  She could see how much, now, they had grown into becoming a much closer family. 

She gently rested a hand on his back, and realized that he was shaking slightly.  Quietly, just above a whisper, she said, “I am so sorry he said those things to you.  He was completely out of line.”

With that, he spontaneously turned and wrapped his arms around Kirsten, laying his head on her shoulder.  For just a split second, she was stunned.  She quickly recovered and tightly wrapped her arms around her son.  She found herself running a hand over the back of his head, quietly whispering reassurances in his ear. 

She had sudden flashbacks to having to console a much younger Seth after particularly bad days at school.  While she hurt for her son, she also enjoyed those bonding moments.  She didn’t hesitate to use this as one of those times with Ryan.  She would let him take as much time as he needed in her arms.  After a couple of minutes, Ryan took a couple of shuddering breaths to compose himself and finally managed to disentangle himself from Kirsten’s arms.  However, he allowed her to keep a physical link by letting her hold his hands. 

He looked her in the eye and said, “Thank you!”

She allowed a little confusion to show on her face, “For what, sweetie?”

“For the things you said tonight.  Obviously, I’ve not had a lot of people stand up for me tonight.  And I’ve not had many people, well, want to admit that I’m their son or someone’s brother.  At least not in a good way like you did.”

“Well, it’s the truth.  And, I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I should have said those things, to him definitely, before now.  But you can count on a lot more of it in the future.”  Trying to lighten the mood at this point, she teases him, “You can go ahead and grown now.  Seth would!”

With a small, shy smile, he tells her, “Well, Seth has had it his whole life.”

She nods in agreement, “Yes, he has.”  Trying to shake off some of the remaining tension, she pushed him out of the kitchen towards Lindsay, “Now, go thank that girl in there for staying here through all this drama.  Also, see if she wants something else to eat.  I’m not in the mood for fondue anymore.”

With the release of more of the tension, he openly laughs at Kirsten as he makes his way towards Lindsay.

When Ryan is out of the room, she turns back to the window and takes a few more short, shaky breaths, trying to release more of her own tension.  She smiles to herself as she imagines Sandy’s reaction when he tells him about tonight’s events.  _“He’ll probably want to throw a party!”_ , she thinks to herself as she pours some water in the glass Ryan had and downs it. 


	2. Chapter 2 - Sandy

I should start off by saying that these chapters are not sequential, nor are they necessarily in the same timeline, if you will.  They are little snippets that I would have liked to have seen in the various episodes that stand on their own; each chapter is independent from the others, unless specified otherwise.

The particular chapter takes place in the episode The Girlfriend (01x06), and it is Sandy’s turn to defend Ryan.  The specific scene is after Caleb meets Ryan, and Sandy and Kirsten are in the house talking with Caleb.

* * *

 

_Kirsten: Gabriel, she seems..._

_Caleb: She's 24._

_Kirsten: I'm sorry?_

_Sandy: Oh, she seems so...mature for her age. (Kirsten looks at him and half smiles)_

_Caleb: These birthday festivities, we’re keeping them small, right?_

_Kirsten: It depends what you mean by small._

_Caleb: Well, just the family, the four of us, Gabriel._

_Kirsten: Right, the four of us...Gabriel, Ryan and a hundred and fifty of your closest friends._

_Sandy: Cal, she's been working over-time on this thing: the menus, the invitations, on top of the mountain of work she's been buried under._

_Caleb: Is it too much?_

_Kirsten: No, work is great.  We're back on track with the new development._

_Caleb: Yeah, after your boy out there nearly burned it to the ground._

_Kirsten: We've had a few set-backs, but the accident insurance more then covered the damages._

_Caleb: And then I hear that you've commissioned an architect that I never approved to do the redesign._

_Kirsten: I commissioned a redesign, but I would never build without consulting you._

_Caleb: Honey, you don't need my approval...After all, you adopted the boy without consulting me (Kirsten & Sandy both look at each other, shocked) _

Sandy couldn’t take it anymore.  “I’m sorry?  You think we should have consulted you?  About a decision that was clearly between Kirsten and myself?”

Caleb looked at Sandy with slight condescension and tried to wave him off with a wave.

“Of all the unmitigated gall!”  Sandy was not going to be deterred.  “You really do think we should have to get your permission for decisions that really don’t involve you!” he said in shock and frustration.

While Kirsten was in agreement with her husband and in a similar state of shock, she also wanted to keep a little semblance of peace.  “Dad, you barely know Ryan.  He really is a great kid.  Have you even met him, yet?”

“The boy burned down one of my homes.  That’s all I need to know!”  Caleb declared coldly.

“That ‘boy’, that 16-year-old child, has lived through more horror then even you, I suspect,” Sandy defended.  “Yes, he has made mistakes; yes, he has made some poor decisions.  But, given his background, I don’t find that very surprising.  He hasn’t had a very stable environment.  That is what Kirsten and I are trying to provide.”

All Caleb could do is snort in derision.

Sandy was really find it hard to count to 10, but he needed to at least try to lay down the law to his father-in-law.  “Like I said, Ryan has already been through too many hells, and I’m going to do everything in my power to let him just be a kid.  I will not allow you to do anything that makes him question his place in _my_ family.”

As Kirsten listened and watched her husband defend this newcomer to her family that she was finding herself being drawn towards, she again was reminded why she loved him so; she was very proud of him.  She moved closer to Sandy and took his hand in hers, “And Dad, I’m going to up the ante.  If you treat him civilly, then you will need to find a replacement for me at work.  And, you will find out why my husband is such a sought-after lawyer!”

Meanwhile, outside by the pool, Ryan, Seth, and Gabriel had gotten out of the pool and were sitting around the loungers soaking up the sun.  Ryan glanced in the house, to the three adults, as he thought he heard raised voices.  He saw them simply talking.  _“Come on, Atwood, calm down,”_ he told himself.  _“You’re just paranoid.  This place is different; you don’t need to be worried about the adults around here.”_   He hoped he was right, as he turned his attention back to his new ‘brother’s’ antics.


	3. Chapter 3 - Seth

This isn’t from a specific episode, but follows the events seen in The Best Chrismukkah Ever (1x13), particularly with Marissa shoplifting from the mall and when she was drinking in the car when the cops pulled her and Ryan over.  This chapter features Seth coming to Ryan’s defense.  This is from a suggestion provided by Emily989. 

* * *

 

Seth stood in the front of the door to the Cooper’s apartment, took a deep breath, and knocked.  He nervously bounced on the balls of his feet.  After a minute, Jimmy opened the door.  Seth awkwardly waved, “Hi, Mr. Cooper.”

Jimmy was a little surprised to see Seth at his front door; he’d only been over a few times, and that was when Summer was hanging out with Marissa.  He had an idea why he was there, and wasn’t particularly happy.  “Hello, Seth.  What can I do for you?”  He already had an idea of what he wanted.

“Um, I was wondering if I Marissa was home?” He was all about the awkward this morning.

“Marissa can’t see anyone right now,” Jimmy responded.

“Yeah, I kind of figured that, but this is really important!”  Seth was really hoping Mr. Cooper wouldn’t shut the door in his face.

Jimmy sighed as he considered his request.  Seth’s mother was one of his closest friends, despite everything that had happened to him and his family.  He didn’t really want to risk doing anything that might damage that relationship.  Finally, he acquiesced, “All right.  You’ve got five minutes,” and invited him in.

He called up the stairs, “Marissa, you have a visitor.” 

Turning back to Seth, Jimmy said, “I’ll be in the kitchen.”

Marissa came running down the stairs, excited about her visitor, considering she was grounded.  She slowed coming down the rest of the stairs as she saw Seth.  The surprise was evident on her face, “Seth!  What are you doing here?”

Again, awkwardly, he waved at her, “Hey, Marissa.  I just came by to talk with you about a couple of things.”

She tried to think about what Seth would want to talk to her about, but couldn’t come up with anything.  “Ok.  What’s up?”

They both sat down in the living room.  Seth’s nervousness was at an all-time high now.  He really didn’t want to do this, and almost chickened out.  But he knew he needed to do this for his friend.  “I wanted to talk about what happened the other day at the mall, and then with you and Ryan in the car.”

Marissa was moritified now, letting her head fall into her hands.  She knew that word would spread pretty fast about what happened at the mall, but no one else would have heard about what happened in the car.  She quietly said, “He told you,” to one in particular.

“Well, Marissa, he is my brother.  Ok, maybe not brother, yet.  But we’re best friends.  There isn’t a whole lot that he doesn’t tell me, or that I don’t badger out of him.”

Marissa started getting upset and a little defensive, “So, what, he sent you over here?!”

Seth was quick to respond, “Actually, Ryan doesn’t know I’m here.  And if we can keep him from learning about our conversation here, that would be great.  I’d really like to live, now that I have a friend, and maybe girlfriend.”

Confusion was added to Marissa’s face as she cocked her head a bit, “Ok, so if Ryan didn’t send you, what is this all about?”

Seth took a deep breath to strengthen his resolve.  He could do this.  “Marissa, I overheard my folks talking and they aren’t happy about what happened.  I know he doesn’t talk about it a lot, and I forget about it a lot too, but Ryan is still on probation.  Stuff like that could seriously get him in trouble.”

Marissa definitely bristled at that, “But nothing happened.  What’s the big deal?!”

 

Now, Seth was the one to start getting upset.  “Because something could have happened, and there’s a very real possibility that Ryan could be taken away from us!”  His voice was starting to raise, not only in volume, but also in pitch.  He took a deep breath to calm himself down.  “I heard them say they were going to talk with Ryan soon.  I don’t know if they know about what happened in the car with the cops; I’m assuming they don’t, otherwise they probably would have talked with him by now.”

 

Marissa was really getting upset now, but she wasn’t so much mad anymore.  It seemed like she was starting to get what Seth was saying, and she was also getting worried.  “Do you know what they were going to talk to him about?  What should I do?”

 

This was really the first time that Seth saw Marissa not know what to do.  Sure, he had seen her stumbling forward making one mistake after another, but she always _acted_ like she knew what she was doing.  “I don’t know exactly what they were going to talk to him about; I can only guess.  I’m giving you a heads up so that you can come up with a plan, and maybe talk with Ryan and try to work some things out.  You seem to make Ryan happy, and I like to see him happy; he deserves it.  And maybe if things with Summer and I work out, the four of us can start double dating, or something.”

 

Marissa was quiet for a few minutes and she looked blankly at nothing.  Seth thought that she was actually considering what he said for once, and was thinking about Ryan and how her actions may have affected his future.  Finally, she wiped a couple of tears that had started running down her cheeks and nodded.  “Ok.  I see what you mean, I guess.  I’ll talk with my Dad, and see what we can come up with, and maybe Ryan and I can make things work.”

 

Seth felt really relieved; the whole conversation went better then he thought it would.  He smiled a little, “That might make my parents feel better.”

 

After they sat in awkward silence for a few moments, Seth started to get up.  “Well, I should probably go.  Your Dad is probably watching the clock, and my time is about up.  Thanks again for listening.”  He gave a slight and, again awkward, wave as he made his way to the door.

 

Before he could open the front door, Marissa called to him, “I really do care for Ryan, you know.”  For some reason, she had to make sure Seth knew that.

 

He turned to her and told her, more serious than he had ever been before, “I know.  Don’t you think you should show him; the same way he shows that he cares for you?”  He gave her a slight smile and shut the door behind him as he left. 

 

Marissa had a lot to think about.


	4. Chapter 4 - Kirsten

This particular chapter comes from The Dawn Patrol (03x21).  As I was refreshing myself on this episode, it made me frustrated all over again how the writers treated Ryan’s character.  It shows they were only going for drama, and not reality.  But the other characters, also frustrated me in that they didn’t trust Ryan’s judgement, particularly the Chloe character (she was Dawn’s waitress friend Ryan hooked up with while in Albuquerque).  However, she will be dealt with! J

While these chapters are more considered one-shots with a larger arc that don’t follow each other, since the theme has been The Cohen’s standing up and defending Ryan, he has become much more confident in his place in the Cohen family.  He is also more comfortable around them expressing their parental side.

* * *

 

We start out at the beginning with Kirsten and Ryan in the pool house, after discussing his graduation tickets and inviting someone from his family.  _Italicized portions are lines from the episode._

_KIRSTEN: I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to..._

_RYAN: No, it's fine, it's fine. It's something I've been thinking about for a long time. I haven't seen her in so long. If I don't invite her to graduation, will I ever see her again?_

_KIRSTEN: Look, I know the last time she was here, it was difficult._

_RYAN: When Sandy saw her, how was she?_

_KIRSTEN: Honestly, not good, but she's trying. Maybe seeing you again will be just the thing for both of you._

_RYAN: What if she's worse?_

Kirsten sat down on the corner of Ryan’s bed, facing him.  She knew she was entering somewhat choppy waters.   She never quite knew how to discuss Ryan’s birth family with him.  She knew how he felt about her and was secure in their relationship, but she couldn’t help feeling a little insecure and jealous (maybe?) whenever Dawn came into the picture.

She carefully broached the subject, “Well, there’s only one way to find out…”  Then another idea hit her, “Hey, why don’t I come with you?”

Ryan really appreciated the offer.  Truth be told, he really didn’t want to go alone.  He wanted someone with him to keep him grounded.  A small part of him, though, still didn’t want to be a bother.  He offered a small smile and said, “I appreciate it, but I can go by myself.”

Kirsten could see the reluctance in his eyes, and it still broke her heart that he thought himself a bother.  “It’s ok, honey.  I don’t mind.  Traveling for the first time by plane can be a little… overwhelming.  I want to make sure that you’re ok.”  She didn’t mention what specifically might affect him negatively. 

Ryan looked at her with a small, self-deprecating smile and leaned forward in his chair.  Kirsten could recognize both the relief and worry in his eyes.  “Is this one of those times that I shouldn’t argue with The Kirsten?” he joked.

Kirsten smiled to herself, thrilled that Ryan felt comfortable enough with her to joke about her boys’ nickname for her.  “See, you’re learning already!  And it’s only taken about 2 years!” 

She stood up from the bed, and affectionately brushed the bangs out of his eyes.  “I’ll contact Michelle, and have her make travel arrangements for the both of us.”

Ryan stood up, too, and she linked her arm in his.  She told him, “Now, let’s go eat.  Dinner should be ready by now.”

_~~~~Hotel Room in Albuquerque, after Ryan tells Dawn they aren’t doing Graduation~~~~_

_~~~~Ryan is packing, talking with Chloe, Kirsten is listening quietly off to the side~~~~_

_RYAN: Look, you don't know her the way I do, okay?_

_CHLOE: I never said I did._

_RYAN: It's been the same thing my whole life. She gets clean for a little while, promises she's changed, and then she meets some lowlife, he moves in with her, she bottoms out._

_CHLOE: How many of these lowlifes did she meet in rehab? Hasn't had a drink in 12 years, pays for their apartment, even fixed up one of his old cars for her._

_RYAN: Yeah, well, I didn't know that._

_CHLOE: Didn't want to. Maybe you already made up your mind about him, and about your mom, too._

Kirsten had heard enough; she was slowly simmering at this girl who seemed to be passing judgement on her son.  She stepped forward and put a hand on Ryan’s back, “Ryan, honey, I’m sorry.  I tried to keep my peace, but I can’t anymore.” 

The Kirsten then turned her attention to Chloe.  “You know, Chloe, I’m sure you’re a nice girl, but I think you should back off of this.”

Chloe bristled at the attack, and she wasn’t usually one that backed down.  She crossed her arms as she turned to the older woman, “Why should I?  I think this is really Ryan’s decision, don’t you?”

Kirsten almost chuckled at the challenge.  She could tell this girl was young and didn’t know with whom she was dealing.  “I think Ryan has made his decision.  He’s obviously not ready to take this step, yet.  And I think Ryan really is the best person to make that decision, not you.”

Chloe was starting to become indignant, “Come on!  She’s made every AA meeting for the past 6 months, since she’s started going!”

That was it!  “6 months doesn’t make up for 16 years!” Kirsten nearly shouted.  She stopped and mentally counted to 10, and visibly calmed herself.  “Look, Ryan has been through a lot in his life, mostly because of Dawn and Frank.  He needs to be able to take things at his own pace.”

That didn’t mean anything to Chloe; she was only interested in helping Dawn get her way.  “Exactly!  Let Ryan decide.  Why aren’t you letting him talk for himself?” 

Attacking Kirsten was exactly the wrong thing for Chloe to do to make her point.  Now it was Ryan’s turn to come to Kirsten’s defense, “Hey!  Don’t talk to her like that.  She’s as much my mom as Dawn is, maybe even more so.”  Even he was surprised the words just slipped out of his mouth as easily as they had.  He’d actually been comparing the two women in his life for a while, even if only subconsciously.  He really did see Kirsten as his mother; she cared for and loved him more so then Dawn ever had, the reason she never did really didn’t matter to him.  The fact that Kirsten had accepted him into her family and _chose_ to be his mother meant more to him than anything.

He looked at Kirsten, feeling his cheeks pink a little bit.  She had a large smile on her face because of his admission.  It was the first time she had ever heard him say anything like that, and she planned on treasuring it forever.  Feeling as though the discussion was over, and knowing that Chloe wasn’t going to change his mind, Ryan told her, “I think it’s time you left.  We have a plane to catch.”

Chloe’s face fell with disappointment and hurt.  She made her way to the door, then turned around.  She glared at Kirsten, then looked at Ryan, and said, “I hope that you’re making the right decision.  I feel sorry for Dawn.”  She then opened the door to leave.

Ryan couldn’t help but get one last barb in, “Don’t.  She’s been making excuses and feeling sorry for herself enough for 10 lifetimes.”  He then turned is back to her and finished packing up his small duffle bag.

Once the door slammed shut, Ryan stopped and Kirsten could see him almost start shaking.  Kirsten instantly had him in a fierce hug, holding him close to her.  The emotions from the decision he had just made came flooding to the surface, and he desperately held onto Kirsten’s jacket.  Kirsten’s heart broke at how once again her son was being put through the emotional ringer by Dawn.  But she wasn’t disappointed at the decision she knew he had made.

It took him a few moments to get his emotions under control, while Kirsten gently rubbed his back and attempted to sooth him.  Finally, he started to pull apart and Kirsten released her hold, but kept her hands on his shoulders so that she could look him in the eyes to make sure he was ok. 

She pointed to the bathroom and told him, “Why don’t you go freshen up?  You can call her on our way to the airport.”

While he appreciated her efforts in trying to help him avoid a very unpleasant conversation with his mother, he smiled at her and said, “No, I should probably talk to her face to face.  We can hit the diner on the way; it shouldn’t take long.”  He then made his way to the bathroom door.

She nodded and told him, “Well, take as much time as you need.”

He looked at her with a bit of confusion, “I’ll only be a minute.”  Then the full meaning of her statement hit him, and clicked his tongue in realization.  He smiled at her, his appreciation for her insight deepening.  “I know,” he said quietly and shut the door.

When he had held her so tightly a few minutes ago, she had decided on her next move.  She went over to the pad of paper on the desk and wrote out a quick note to Ryan:

“Sweetie, I have an errand I need to run that just came up.  I will be back in a little bit and then we will head to the airport.  Love, Kirsten”

She left it on his duffle bag to make sure he would see it, and then quietly snuck out of the hotel room and down to the waiting car.  Within a few minutes, Kirsten found herself outside the diner at which Dawn worked.  She wasn’t sure what she was going to say, but she knew she had to say something.  She also knew Ryan would be upset that she came here behind his back, but this was one of those times that parental rights won out over the child’s.  Or, at least that’s what she told herself. 

She entered the diner and saw Chloe behind the counter.  Chloe looked up and just glared at her as she approached the younger woman.  “Look, I don’t want to fight with you or anything, I was just wondering if Dawn was here?” Kirsten asked.

“Why?  So you can yell at her, and make her feel worse about not being the mother you think she should have been?” Chloe snidely asked.

Kirsten had to again count to 10, and then to 20, so that she wouldn’t take the bait.  She needed to stay calm so that she could tell Dawn what she needed to and then get back to Ryan.  “I just need to talk with Dawn for a few minutes, and then I will be on my way,” she said with attempted calm.  She really didn’t like this Chloe girl.

Chloe stared her down for a minute, then finally relented, “She’s in the back.  But if you upset her too badly, I’m having Nick kick you out.”

She ignored her last comment and her glare as she walked past her into the back of the restaurant.  She opened the door and entered the little storeroom the waitresses used to lock up their belongings during their shifts.  Dawn was standing in front of her open locker dabbing at her eyes with a Kleenex.  She stiffened when she saw Kirsten standing there watching her. 

“You don’t have to worry!  My eyes are read from crying, not drinking,” Dawn said rather curtly.  “What?  Are you here to steal him away from me completely?”

Kirsten knew that she had to tread lightly to try and help the other woman see the points she was going to try to make.  “It’s never been my intention to steal Ryan away from you.  I’ve only tried to be the mother to him that _you_ asked me to be.”

It stung Dawn a little bit having her own words used against her like that.  She didn’t say anything, she just crossed her arms in front of her and glared at Kirsten.

Kirsten took the opportunity to continue, “Look, Dawn, there was a very important event in Ryan’s life about 5 months ago that you didn’t make it to.  You remember Ryan’s birthday?”

Dawn’s hurt and guilt were evident on her face.  “I told him I wasn’t ready!  Sandy came down here and I sent a note back for Ryan!  I was just going through a lot then,” she tried, defending herself. 

Kirsten had respected Ryan’s privacy enough not to ask what the note had said, but based on what her husband had told her, she suspected that was essentially the message.  She tried to validate the other woman’s feelings, “Dawn, that is very understandable.  No one is faulting you for taking the time to make sure you’re ready to see Ryan.  However, consider how Ryan is feeling.  He’s the child; we are the adults.”

Kirsten took a deep breath, bracing herself for the fallout of what she was about to say next, “The part I do take exception to is making him feel guilty for not being ready, when you told him the same thing not 6 months ago.”

She was surprised when she saw Dawn actually considering what she said.  Maybe she was turning her life around?

But she wasn’t able to find out what Dawn was thinking, because Ryan chose that moment to throw open the door and practically run into the room.  He had almost a panicked look on his face, as he looked between Kirsten and Dawn. 

Kirsten was the first to speak, “I’m sorry, Ryan, if you’re mad, but I had to talk with Dawn about a couple of things before we left.”

He looked at her with worry etched on his face, “I had a feeling this is where you would be when I saw your note.  And it’s not that I’m mad, I’m… concerned.”  He then looked again between the two women, and tentatively asked, “So, is everything ok?”

Dawn was the first to speak up this time, “Yeah, baby, everything’s ok.  Like Kirsten said, we were just talking.” 

If Kirsten didn’t know any better, she would have sworn she saw guilt in Dawn’s eyes.

There was another moment of awkward silence until Dawn moved closer to Ryan and put her hand to his chest.  “Ry, I need to apologize for what I said earlier.”  Ryan looked at her with confusion evident in his furrowed brow.  She continued, “Kirsten helped to understand that as much as I want to be an active part of your life again, you might not be ready.  So, I’m going to give you the time you need.  But, promise me that you will send me lots of pictures.”  She dabbed at her eyes and nose a little more.

To say that Kirsten was surprised would be an understatement.  She would have thought Dawn’s reaction would have been the opposite, and Ryan would again have to deal with Dawn’s tantrums.

Ryan was also shocked, but more at Kirsten, that she was able to get the woman to see reason and understand what he was feeling.  Well, that Kirsten understood was big, but to help Dawn see it was huge. 

Ryan again was surprised to hear himself trying to joke, “Well, the Nana has you covered there.”  At Dawn’s look of confusion, Ryan answered the unasked question, “She’s Sandy’s mom.”

Dawn realized this would be hard for both of them, so she just pulled him into a tight hug, and told him, “I love you, baby!  I hope you know that.”

He returned the hug and closed his eyes, to keep his emotions in check.  “I know, Mom.  I love you, too.”  Finally, they separated, but she kept holding his hands.  “Maybe we can keep in touch with phone calls, or email, for now.  Try to start over,” he suggested quietly.

“I think I’d like that,” Dawn replied through her sniffles.

Kirsten looked at her watch, and although she hated to break up the touching scene, they had to leave for the airport.  She cleared her throat, bringing them back to the present.

Dawn put her hands on Ryan’s cheeks, then pulled his head closer and placed a kiss on his forehead.  She then let him go and watched him slowly turn and head for the door.  She waved at Kirsten, who waved back just before leaving the room.  Ryan turned and gave her one last look, before waving himself, and then was gone.

Once they were in the car and on their way to the airport, Kirsten gave her son a few minutes to come to terms with what had just happened.  Finally, she took his hand and quietly said, “Again, honey, I’m sorry for going there without you.”

He turned to her and shook his head slightly, with a small smile.  “It’s ok.  Like I said, I was concerned about what Dawn would do if she was really upset.  I guess this is one of those things that parents, mom’s in particular, do for their kids that they don’t always appreciate at the time that is for their own good.”

She dropped her head back against the head rest and smiled broadly, “You better believe it.” 

The rest of the trip was for the most part, in silence, which was fine with the both of them.  They had each other.


	5. Chapter 5 - Sandy & Kirsten

This takes place towards the beginning of The Rescue (01x08).  The Cohens + 1 are leaving Marissa’s hospital room, and Julie calls after Ryan to talk with him.  She did so very casually, and then when they were out of ear shot of Sandy and Kirsten, she lets him have it.  I’m assuming they are out of ear shot, because I want to think that if they had heard what she said to him, Sandy and Kirsten would have spoken up in his defense.  I’ve started re-watching season one, and this scene hit me as one needed a defense. 

In one of the early episodes, a comment is made about how Ryan could convey almost anything with just a look.  I though Ben McKenzie did a great job in simply displaying his fears haunting him after Julie’s threat with a simple look.

* * *

 

_Julie: I don't know what happened in Mexico, but here's what I do know. Since you showed up Marissa's been a wreck, comes home crying, doesn't want to go to her own cotillion, having problems with her boyfriend; and now you can add another shining accomplishment to your list of achievements. In addition to stealing cars, burning down houses and befriending would be assassins, you've almost killed my daughter._

_Ryan: You can blame me all you want, but I would never do anything to hurt Marissa._

_Julie: Well, you're not going to get the chance, because you're never going to see her again.  You even try and I'll make sure you're thrown back in juvie where you belong!_

When Julie called Ryan back to talk to him just a few moments ago, both Sandy and Kirsten were on high alert.  As Ryan moved closer to speak with Julie, they took a few steps closer so that they could discreetly listen.  They had a feeling it was neither to apologize nor thank him for rescuing her daughter. 

Julie was so concerned with her verbal tirade that she never noticed their eavesdropping.  Otherwise, she would have chosen a more opportune time, in her mind, to confront the teen.  But to Julie’s chagrin, Sandy and Kirsten heard every word, and they were ready to pounce. 

As they moved together as a unified team, Sandy asked, “I’m sorry, what did you just say?”

At the same time, Kirsten could have sworn she saw the boy almost start to shake as Julie’s hateful words sank in.  She gently put a reassuring hand on his arm.  He jumped at her touch, forgetting that they were there.  He had started to shut down, as one of his fears had been hit like an open wound. 

When she could tell his eyes had refocused on her, she gave him a soft smile despite the worry on her face.  Sandy and Kirsten then put themselves between Ryan and the Dragon Lady. 

Sandy took a little bit of pleasure seeing Julie slightly shaken.  She started stuttering, as she tried to think of a way to save face.  He wasn’t having any of it.  “I certainly hope that you weren’t just threatening a 16 year old kid because of something Marissa did!  Yes, they all made mistakes and some poor decisions,” he made sure to turn around and emphasize his point by looking at both boys, raising his eyebrows as he did so, “which we will be talking about in more detail later.  However, I’m not going to stand here and let you blame my kids for something for which they are not responsible!”

The coldness Ryan had been feeling just moments ago was starting to thaw.  All he could really do was stare at these 2 people in front of him; that put themselves between him and a perceived threat.  He was still a little frazzled from Julie’s threat and was having a little trouble keeping up with everything that Sandy was saying.  However, he could tell from the look he and Seth just got, with those impossible eyebrows, that they weren’t completely out of the woods on the whole TJ thing.  Somehow in his confused state, he was able to logically connect that if they were going to bat for him against Julie Cooper now, it was unlikely they would be kicking him out later.  He would much rather deal with them then with Julie.  He was further impressed next when Kirsten took over.

The Nichol-part of Kirsten made an appearance as she started talking with the type of calm usually associated with the oncoming of a major storm.  “You know, Julie, there’s something you should remember about small towns like Newport: there are very chaotic winds here.  Seemingly overnight the winds can cause the banner of influence to change directions, making the finicky people of this town running from one bastion to another.”  The whole time Kirsten kept her gaze bored into Julie.

Julie was now the one who was visibly shaken, and she swallowed hard.  No one had spoken to her like that in a long time, but coming from Kirsten, whose father practically owned Newport, she was for once speechless. 

Normally, Sandy would be taking advantage of the opportunity and making jokes, but neither Seth nor Ryan had ever seen Sandy as serious as he was now.  He decided now, though, was the time to end this particular confrontation before things escalated beyond threats.

With the same amount of ire as his wife, Sandy told Julie, “I think you should go back and make sure Marissa gets healthy.”

With that, Sandy and Kirsten turned around and started walking away.  Kirsten put a comforting arm around Ryan as they walked, needing to reassure him of his place in their home and family.  She told him, with perhaps a small amount of false cheer and calm, “OK.  Let’s get going.  I think we could all use a calming cup of coffee or something before your meeting with Dr. Kim, Ryan.”

Seth was almost giddy over seeing his parents just verbally slap Julie down; he had never seen anything like it.  “Coffee?  Calming?  Really, Mom?  Doesn’t coffee usually have the opposite effect?”  At the look she gave him, he still couldn’t wipe the grin off his face, but shrugged and said, “I’m just sayin’.”

By the time they got to the entrance of the hospital, Ryan had felt a little better about the situation and was grateful for what they had said.  Since they had driven separately, so Sandy could head straight to work and Kirsten could take the boys to school, they were about to head in different directions.  Sandy gave Kirsten a peck on the cheek, and told Ryan again not to be nervous about his meeting with the Dean.

Ryan forced himself to speak up, otherwise he would have chickened out and never forgave himself, “Umm, before you go, Sandy, uhhh, I wanted to say something.”

Sandy and Kirsten both could tell that we was nervous.  They knew that he didn’t talk much and was still getting comfortable around them.  They gave him the time and encouragement they felt he needed to continue.  Sandy put a comforting hand on his shoulder and smiled at him, “Sure, kid, what’s on your mind?”

Ryan blinked against the sun, using it as a distraction for a couple more seconds to put his thoughts to words.  “Well, I wanted to thank you, for what you said, you know, to Mrs. Cooper.”  He said it quietly and his voice wavered a couple of times, but they knew that he meant it.

Kirsten smiled warmly and pulled him into a tight hug.  “Oh, sweetie, you’re welcome.” She pulled back after a moment and put her hands on his shoulders to make sure that she had his full attention.  “We’re serious about what we said earlier: you’re a member of this family, now.  We stand up for each other here.”

Sandy took a chance and cupped his neck affectionately, and said, “She had no right to talk to you like that.  And I hope that if you run into anything else like that, you’ll tell us right away, so that we can take care of it.”

“I’ll try”, was about all that he could get out.  He was a little relieved when Sandy finally did head off for his car, and they headed off for the Rover. 

He needed some quiet time to process everything that had just happened.  He was just hoping that Kirsten could keep Seth occupied so he could have that quiet time before meeting with the Dean.  Although, he figured keeping Seth occupied was a 2 person job, one that he might just be starting to enjoy.


	6. Chapter 6 - Everyone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This particular chapter takes place during the episode The My Two Dads (4x9). I’ve taken some poetic license, if you will, with this entry. This scene takes place when Sandy confronts Frank about his non-existent bout with cancer. In addition to the cast of characters that were having dinner at the Cohens, we also have Seth and Summer. So we will see everyone that is close to Ryan come to his aid in some way. As I stated in a previous chapter, Ryan has been living with the Cohen’s long enough now while they have been truly treating him as one of their own, so he is much more comfortable in accepting their defense of him, as well as allowing them to take the reins more in certain situations.

Ryan walked into the family room, and could just feel the tension.  He looked between Sandy and… Frank and could tell that something was wrong.  For one thing, he wasn’t sure if he had ever seen Sandy as mad as he was right now, and the fact that he was in a staring contest with Frank was very unsettling. 

“Frank?  Frank, you got something you want to say?” Sandy asked, very tersely.

Frank was to the point of pacing.  He could feel the anger building in him, but he wasn’t going to cave.  This was his last chance to rebuild his relationship with Ryan.  “Nope, nothing,” was all Frank shot at Sandy, with the patented Atwood glare, times 10.  But Sandy had dealt with Ryan’s glare for the past few years, and knew how to handle it.

Ryan made an effort to find out what was going on.  He took a step forward, “What’s the matter?”

Both men ignored their son’s question, as they were both too engrossed in their stare down.  Sandy continued without missing a beat, “Then I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

As the tension continued to grow, Seth knew he needed to get his brother out of the room.  It was anyone’s guess as to Ryan’s reaction if this situation escalated any further.  He grabbed hold of Ryan’s arm, and softly started pulling him away.  “Come on, _bro_.  Let’s go back outside.  Let’s let _our_ parents handle this.”  While he was speaking to Ryan, his comments were directed at Frank.  He wanted to let Frank know where Ryan sat in his family.  Seth was only a little surprised when Ryan only glanced at him for a moment, and then let him start to pull him out of the room, through the kitchen and towards the back door. 

Summer looked back at her boyfriend guiding Ryan through the kitchen, then turned to Frank.  She could feel one of her rage blackouts coming on, but she forced it back down; the man wasn’t worth it.  Instead, she simply gave him her patented, “Ewww!” before turning and following the boys out the back.

Taylor didn’t quite know what was going on, but she had never seen Sandy as upset as he was.  She had always known Sandy to be calm and joking around.  She knew something was wrong, and had a feeling that it was centered around Frank.  She knew Ryan was a little nervous about reuniting with his father, and she started to sense that nervousness was warranted. 

She also felt the need to defend her boyfriend.  She told him, “And to think I was on Team Frank!”  With that, she turned on her heal and flounced away. 

Before Ryan made it outside, while he was still in the kitchen, he heard Frank say, “He’s _my_ son.  You can’t keep me from seeing him.”  He cringed at the reality of those words.  He knew that, especially now that he was 18, the Cohens had no legal authority over him anymore.  He could feel his stomach start to drop at that realization.  But Kirsten’s next words gave him hope.

“Well, he’s not your son anymore!”  The Kirsten was in full force, and Frank was completely in her cross-hairs.  “You’ve demonstrated enough through his life, and tonight just cemented it, that you don’t deserve Ryan in your life.  He belongs here, in this family!”

That’s all Ryan heard before his brother and the girls pushed him outside onto the patio.  But, really, that’s all he needed to hear.  Those precious words helped to reaffirm to Ryan his own place in the Cohen home and family.

As the 4 of them waited outside, Ryan was getting more and more nervous.  It had been several minutes since they came outside, and it was killing him not knowing what was happening inside the house.  He knew Frank’s temper and what it could lead him to do.  He took a small amount of solace in the thought that if Frank had raged out, he would already be outside coming for him. 

He had tried to sit on the wicker couch next to Taylor, but eventually found himself pacing again.  Seth was trying to help by blathering on about something, but he didn’t care much about the topic.  He did appreciate, though, Seth’s attempt to distract him from other things.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Sandy and Kirsten emerged from the kitchen doors.  The three other teens rose, as the elder Cohen’s approached them.  Kirsten laid a comforting hand on Ryan’s arm, and answered his silent question.  “Don’t worry, honey.  He’s gone.  We made it very clear to him that you will be the one to contact him, _if and only if_ you want to.  And not to hold his breath on that.”

Ryan sighed, releasing a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.  He gave them a smile of appreciation in return, not quite sure of the words to thank them for that. 

Kirsten again surprised Ryan when she apologized to him.  “Ryan, honey, I am so sorry for what happened tonight with your father.”

Ryan cringed at that.  “Frank isn’t my…  Frank is just Frank.”  Not surprisingly, he didn’t quite know how to say what he wanted to.  Suddenly, it was Ryan’s turn to surprise Kirsten and Sandy by stepping forward and hugging them both.  They both recovered from their surprise in time to return his hug.  He told them quietly, “I don’t think I’ve ever said this, but you guys are my parents.  I don’t know if I will ever be able to use the words, but that’s what you guys are.”  He pulled away and indicating everyone else, shyly said, “You guys are my family.”

Seth patted his brother on the back, for once keeping the thought bubbles to himself, allowing everyone to enjoy and appreciate the blonde’s admission.  Sandy rested a hand on his shoulder, and squeezed.  He appreciated how hard it was for his son to be open like that about his feelings.  It was then that Ryan looked down, and saw an ice pack on Sandy’s other hand.  “What happened to your hand?”

Sandy hesitated for a moment, not knowing how Ryan would take the news.  Kirsten took that as an opportunity to answer, “He took a page from your book, honey.”  Looking at both of her boys, she emphasized, “And that’s the last time there will be anything like that around here, isn’t it?!”  She had put her hands on her hips in mock-seriousness.  Obediently, they both numbly nodded yes.

Ryan was in a little bit of shock to hear that Sandy and actually punched someone.  “Wait…. So, you actually punched Frank?!”

With an abashed smile, Sandy replied, “Yeah, I sort of did.  First time I’ve felt like hitting someone in a _very_ long time.  But like your Mother said, this is not permission to go out and start fights with everyone.”  The edges of Sandy’s lips were twitching in an upward motion, belying his seriousness.

Ryan and Seth looked at each other for just a moment, before simultaneously saluting their father, “Aye, sir!”

Sandy chuckled at his sons antics, and took his wife’s hand.  “Ok, well, family.  Let’s go get some of Taylor’s peach torte while it’s still warm!”

Seth started immediately into the house, “Ooh, I want some ice cream on mine!”

As everyone started into the house, Ryan slipped his hand into Taylor’s to hold her back.  He led her back over to the wicker love seat and sat down.  He sat there for a moment, looking between their interlocked hands and her eyes.

Taylor had learned enough about Ryan to know that he didn’t like to talk much about his feelings, and she got the impression that he was close to filling his quotient for the year already tonight.  So, she was content to sit there, waiting for her boyfriend to gather his thoughts.  She gave him an encouraging smile.

Finally, Ryan spoke, “Thank you!”

That surprised her a bit.  For all the time he took, there had to be more rattling around in that head of his.  “For what?  I didn’t really do much.”

“You were here.  All my life, I can count on one hand the number of people who have stood by me.  And they are all here in this house right now.  I don’t think I can really explain how much that means to me.”  He leaned in and gave her a deep kiss.

She enjoyed the kiss for a moment, and almost got lost in the moment.  But she then remembered who was just about 10 feet away.  In the kitchen.  With a large window facing in their direction.  She chastely pulled away, a little out of breath.  She took his hand and started to pull him up.  “Come on inside.  You won’t get any of my torte.”

Ryan’s eyes sparkled mischievously.  “Maybe I want something different for dessert!”  He wagged his eyebrows, with a large grin on his face.

Taylor couldn’t help but blush.  “Ryan!  Your parents, brother, and Summer are right inside!”  She pulled him with her towards the house.  She then kissed him again, “We’ll worry about that later!” she responded with a grin of her own.

Ryan’s face broke into a full smile as he realized what Taylor had just said… His parents and brother.  As much as he was dreading this meal with Frank tonight, he couldn’t have hoped for it to turn out any better!


	7. Chapter 7 - The Internship, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This isn’t so much a new defense story as it is a follow up idea on the first chapter. This little idea just came to me and thought that I would try to capture it.
> 
> For a refresher on that chapter: It took place during The Second Chance (02x11); Kirsten, Ryan, Lyndsay, and Caleb were having dinner; when Caleb started going off on Ryan, Kirsten stepped in and kicked Caleb out until he was able to apologize and be civil with Ryan.
> 
> This chapter takes place a couple of months later, after Lyndsay had left, but before Trey showed up. There is no Rebecca or Carter; in case I haven’t mentioned it, I hated that sorry excuse for a story line.
> 
> One more thing… Please forgive me, but for simplicity I will be referring to the FOUR Cohens. I know technically Ryan is an Atwood, but in my mind he is more of a Cohen.

All four of the Cohens were sitting around the dinner table eating their carry-out Mexican.  It was Ryan’s night to choose, and even though he would have declined the opportunity to choose, Sandy knew that Mexican was Ryan’s favorite.  When the boy wasn’t forthcoming on his choice, Sandy made the decision for him.  As the whole family was chatting away, Sandy saw that he had made the right decision; Ryan was definitely enjoying the food. 

Suddenly, Kirsten snapped her fingers in recollection.  “Oh, Ryan, I almost forgot.  My father said something today you might find interesting.”

Seth cut Kirsten off by nearly choking on his burrito.  After several moments of coughing and sips of water to clear his throat, Seth couldn’t help but chuckle.  “I’m sorry, Mom.  Did you say that Grandpa said something to interest Ryan?”

She nodded in confusion, “Yes.  Why is that so funny?”

Seth gaped at her, almost dumbfounded.  “You mean, your father?  My grandfather?  The same man that has pretty much been trying to find a reason to get Ryan out of here since he met him?  You mean, that guy?!”

Somewhere during Seth’s tirade, Ryan put his fork down and started to shake his head.  He turned slightly to Seth, on his left, and quietly said, “Yeah, thanks buddy for bringing all that up again!”

But Seth turned to Ryan in all seriousness, “No, bro!  I didn’t mean it like that!  I just mean, we have to stick together.”  Pointing his finger between the two of them, “Brothers watch out for each other.  Even if Mom and Dad can’t keep Grandpa from kicking you out, I’m coming with you.  We’ll start our pancake tour of America!”

Now it was Ryan’s turn to chuckle, but he sensed the true substance behind what he was saying.  He smiled in gratitude, “Thanks, man!”

Sandy had to smile at the bond between his two sons.  He was glad they had each other, even though Seth’s imagination sometimes got the better of them both.  “Well, that’s not going to happen!  Caleb isn’t kicking anyone out of anywhere!”  He glanced at Kirsten hoping that he was telling the truth.

Rolling her eyes at how far her family could stray sometimes, she said, with a little exasperation, “No, of course not.  I think he’s still trying to get back on my good side.  But he did come up with a pretty good idea.  He came to me with a plan to start an internship program that could target high school students and college students in the area.  It would help them get a little bit of experience in the business world, and specifically with real estate development and architectural design.  He wanted to start a pilot first, to see if there would be any merit to it.  And he thought you would be a good candidate for the pilot program.”

Ryan sat there for a few minutes, dumbfounded.  Could Caleb Nichol really be trying to do something nice for him?  He almost asked Seth to pinch him to make sure he was awake.  When Ryan glanced at his brother, his jaw also had dropped and was resting comfortably on the table. 

Finally, Seth recovered enough to ask, with furrowed brows, “Ok…  What’s the catch?”

Ryan was so glad sometimes that Seth was his brother, so he could ask questions like that.

Kirsten shook her head slightly, “I don’t think there are any.  The internship program would be run out of my office.  So, honey, you would be working with me.”

Ryan got a little excited at that prospect.  He was always interested in the projects she would bring home from the office, but he wished he could see more.  Now, he might get the opportunity to do that.

Kirsten saw the excitement in his face, and that made her more excited.  And happy, that one of her sons was interested in what she did for a living.  “Well, actually, you won’t always be working with me.  Besides, who would want to spend 10-15 hours a week with their mother and then come home and spend the rest of their time with them at home?!”  Kirsten threw her napkin at Seth when he made a face like he was holding back a scathing remark, eliciting laughter from the rest of her family.  “No, but seriously, honey, you would work in just about every department: Development, IT, with the architects, Purchasing and Acquisitions.  We could probably go on some field trips and get out into the field, go see some projects.  You might also get to sit in on some meetings with current and potential clients.”

Ryan was really getting excited about the prospect.  But there was one little thing niggling at him, but he was afraid to bring it up.

Kirsten seemed to read his mind.  “And the best part: My father has already promised to stay as far away from this internship as possible.”  It was Kirsten’s turn to chuckle when Ryan seemed to release the breath he was holding in a sigh of relief.  “Now, your father and I will go over the paper work tonight, just to make sure there isn’t anything I missed.  If everything checks out, you can probably start sometime next week.  Oh, and we might be able to pay you something, too.”

Ryan couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable whenever money came into the conversation.  His allowance really made him uncomfortable, but Sandy and Kirsten told him that was non-negotiable.  What Seth got, Ryan got; no matter how much he fought it.  “That’s ok, Kirsten.  I don’t care about the money.  It seems like a great opportunity.  I hope it does work out.”

Kirsten was thrilled that Ryan was excited and happy about working with her.  She was really surprised that it was her father that came up with the idea, and Ryan, to boot.  She would just have to make sure her father lived up to his end of the bargain and stayed the hell away from her son!


End file.
